


Nicotine

by minxesti



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Drug Use, FWB, M/M, Unrequited Love, brohm, bxb - Freeform, nicotine, no regrets on this tbh, thanks to my betas for making this so good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 17:23:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9247895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minxesti/pseuds/minxesti
Summary: He was a drug that he couldn't get rid of...Discontinued, sorry.





	1. Zero

It had started with a kiss, just a simple, abrupt, selfish kiss from the older male. He knew it was a corrupt thing to have, yet, he didn’t dare stop the routine of it. These thoughts plagued his mind at the dead of night when he was alone, and it sucked. The older male had gone home earlier with the look of relief and satisfaction radiating on his face. Bryce knew the whole affair was toxic, a bad, bad thing to have after the feelings he had developed. Those ‘oh-so’ heavenly fingers were anything but pure when they touched his skin.

Bryce suppressed a shiver of delight as he let out a tired, sad sigh from his rosy-red lips. He sat up from where he laid and tried to swing his legs over the edge of the bed. A whimper followed by low, pained moan left his lips as his back screamed out in pain. He slowly got up from his spot on the bed and carefully wobbled to his dresser. He then took a quick look at himself in the mirror. Even in the faint moonlight coming from his window, he could see marks.

They stained his body in various shades of purple, some darker than others. They were littered just about everywhere on his body; from his shoulders to his inner thighs. He turned around slowly so his back faced the mirror and then chose to turn his head slightly. His back and butt were no better off as faint, purple fingerprints were marked onto his hips, his butt was a faint beetroot red, and more bite marks moved up and down his bare back. Something must have really stressed the older man out today in order to have gone so rough on him.

Dark thoughts rattled around in Bryce’s head of how happy he could be if Ryan were to be his. Bryce had Ryan at arm’s length, within his grasp, but it was the complete opposite of what he wanted. The blonde shook his head as if to disperse the terrible thoughts, knowing that they could escalate and worsen even further. Seeing as that didn’t work in his favor, he stared emptily into the dark corner of his room then made up his mind in taking up the test of taking a shower. Bryce limped a few steps forward before his legs gave out, but didn’t get any further than the edge of the bed as he fell onto his knees. The impact made his back burn as the soreness increased tremendously.

Bryce didn’t blame anyone outside this affair because there was no one else to blame but themselves, and even more himself. He knew he shouldn’t have taken a giant leap into a path that had no good outcome. Not only did he play himself, but because of his feelings, he had taken advantage of a friendship so pure and turned it into something so perverse, taking away that purity. Tears welled up at his eyes as guilt built up by remembering the night of, not only Ryan’s heartbreak, but his own.

~

A _knock on the door had startled Bryce from his comfy place on the black, leather couch. He paused the movie he was watching and begrudgingly stood up to check who was at the door, visiting at such an obscene hour. The neighbors would become curious and he didn’t need people talking about him once again. Bryce ran his hands through his hair to try and tame it a little as he approached the door. He wore some basketball shorts and a loose dark gray t-shirt that showed a bit of his collar bone. Bryce opened the door and found a pale, cold Ohm standing at his doorway with tears staining his face. The rain had soaked his clothing, making him look like a drowned rat._

_Bryce let out a soft gasp in shock and pulled the older male in by the arm. He closed the door behind him and he led Ohm towards the couch in the living room area. Bryce heard teeth chattering as the warm air seeped its way into the cold, older male. He ran to get a dry towel for Ohm, but when he came back, gray towel in hand, he found no one sitting on the couch, hoping to find Ohm there. As he approached, he could hear faint sobbing. He took a deep breath as he turned the corner and saw Ohm crying with his head between his knees._

_Bryce approached the male slowly and gently placed the gray towel on the older man’s shoulders. Bryce was shocked when a hand wrapped it fingers around his wrist and pulled him onto Ohm’s lap. Arms wrapped around his waist and a soft, unsure kiss was placed on the small of his collar bone. A gasp escaped Bryce’s pretty pink lips from both the contact and the water seeping through his own clothes. Ohm noticed this and gained the confidence to pepper kisses all over his neck and shoulders. A small moan escaped the younger male as sloppy, heated kisses trailed down from his jaw to his neck._

_Bryce snapped out of his thoughts when he felt teeth grazing the sensitive skin of his neck. He pushed away Ohm to look at him in the eyes, to which he later found out was a grave mistake. A red face and slight loss of breath is what had captured Ohm’s attention when the younger said, “Ohm, this is not what you want, trust me…” Bryce did his best to give Ohm his warning, but knew it didn’t get through when soft hands grabbed onto his own. Those warm, hazel eyes were the trap that would catch him off guard._

_“Just let me forget…” Bryce’s mind went blank and he looked indecisive. “…Please?...” Bryce nodded absentmindedly to the request, “Okay…I’ll help you forget…” He left out the part where he would call him his. Bryce moved his body into a position that would have him straddling Ohm. Meanwhile, Ohm threaded his fingers into Bryce’s blonde locks and pulled him in. Before connecting their lips, Ohm let out a whispered ‘Thank You’ and let out a small, unnoticeable smirk. Finally, their lips met in a messy, heated kiss and Bryce wrapped his long arms around Ohm’s neck, deepening the kiss. “Ohm, I –”_


	2. Un

A loud scream erupted from Bryce’s lips as he sat up in a cold sweat, trail of tears run down his cheeks and he begins to shiver feverishly. It takes him a few, brief moments to realize where he was and even longer to calm down from the rush. He breathes in through his nose slowly and then letting it out in shaky breaths as he stared at the wooden texture in front of him He doesn’t remember falling asleep on the cold, hard floor, but it must have been around the time that he started to blame himself for his current predicament. He rubbed his eyes to help take away the sleepy state he just came back from before attempting to stand.

Bryce managed to wobble up as he used his legs and got on top of the bed, just sitting there to catch his bearings. He blinked once, gathering up any strength and bared through the pain that the older man would leave him in every once in a while. Bryce felt a little better than yesterday as his back slowly stopped aching and his marks started to heal again. He couldn’t go out in public like this, it was embarrassing when everyone turned to stare. His neighbors, he was sure, were already talking about him and about Ryan because Bryce knows when he is quiet and when he’s not.

Bryce walked to the small, lilac colored bathroom with the intent to shower and turned briefly to look at himself in the mirror. He was a mess on two legs in comparison to his usual bubbly self and that would worry people close to him, well, almost all of them. He stared at the reflection with a look of pure hatred, his lithe, tall body would attract anyone, but not for the right reasons. He hated the way he looked because he thought it was the only reason that Ryan was still with him. Bryce felt tears building up again, but immediately shut them out before walking up to the shower and turning on the water.

  
A familiar ringtone caught Bryce’s attention as he waited for the water warm up, but decided to ignore it until after his shower. He stuck his hand underneath the water from the shower head for a brief moment and decided it was warm enough. He stepped into the small space and the hot water burned him for a bit before it did wonders on his sore body. Letting out a sigh of content, Bryce stood underneath the water, just staring at the lilac ceiling up above. The one color that used to calm him, now triggers a deep, heart wrenching pain that shakes him to the core.

  
Bryce doesn’t notice he’s crying until he snaps out of his stupor and can’t see a  
nything due to the tears in his eyes. He lets out a quick sniffle before angrily wiping the tears off his eyes and began cleaning himself off. He scrubs angry red marks around his body to try and clean himself off of the dirtiness he feels, making his body complain in return. By the end of his cleansing process, he is bleeding from his arms and legs, but the anger is still there. Bryce finishes by scrubbing his hair off of any store brand shampoo and conditioner, making sure all of the water dripping turned clear.  
Turning off the water, he steps out of the tub and walks back into his room, ignoring the water dropping in large amounts. Bryce grabs a clean towel and wraps his hair up, trying to keep dry long enough to be able to change. His phone goes off in a loud tone as a notification makes his screen light up showing four missing calls and two new messages. He glanced briefly at the notifications before walking casually up to his dresser and retrieved some boxers.

Bryce stared blankly at the underwear, mind thinking of nothing and everything all at once. But a new notification brought him back into reality and he put on his boxers with a heavy mind. He then walked off to his closet and picked out a dark blue t-shirt and light blue jeans, making it his outfit for the day. The cold air pricked at Bryce’s naked skin and he lightly scratched at the red marks unconsciously as he placed the clothing down.

Bryce reached for his phone, but the blood on his scratches started to burn again, so he ran to the bathroom. Upon setting foot in the small lilac room, he was instantly reminded of everything that went wrong, but he chose to ignore it, grabbing the lotion from the cabinet. He sat himself on the toilet seat and opened the bottle, the light pink lotion refusing to fall into his palm. Bryce let out a frustrated sigh and shockingly, lightly tapped on the bottom end to try and get it to come out instead of throwing it against the wall like all the other times.

Seeing as it worked, Bryce applied the lotion all over his reddened skin and waited with patience as the itching faded away. His skin had soaked up the lotion like a sponge and he decided to finally change into the clothing awaiting him on his bed. Passing by the mirror on the way back, Bryce gave a quick glance towards his reflection and saw nothing but misery. He let out a choked laugh, not giving himself time to pity what the reflection showed and continued towards his clothes. He picked up the shirt and it resulted a grave mistake as a certain smell hit his nose instantly. It was Rosemary and a hint of black coffee.

Bryce’s breath escaped his lungs as the scent overtook him, filling him with a deep, painful sorrow strong enough to make him cry again. It was Ryan’s scent. No- it was the scent that had greeted him before this entire mess had come into light. It was Ohmwrecker’s scent. Thinking back on it now, although both people shared the same body, they didn’t share the same mind at this point. Ohm was kind and caring. He made sure that his voice was heard when someone he cared for was in need and would ignore any resistance from doing so. Meanwhile, Ryan is nothing but the aftermath of what was left behind after a long term relationship had ended, a shell, an empty container ready to be filled with whatever got to it first.

Focusing on those thoughts, Bryce wondered what would have happened if he gave Ryan love and support like a normal friend would have in his time of need, instead of offering up his body like some cheap, two-dollar whore. Would things be different if that had happened or would he have ended up in the same place? The dark thoughts made their way into his mind and webbed themselves there, entangling and trapping more optimistic thoughts even more. As this played off, Bryce convinced himself that he would never be able to obtain happiness due to all his mistakes in the past year.

  
Managing to grasp reality again, Bryce threw the shirt to the back of his closet and settled on a maroon shirt instead. He changed quickly into the clothes after air drying himself off and walked over to get his phone. There were more notifications than before and his eyes widened with surprise, he didn't expect more messages. They were all from Michelle, one of his closest friends. He gave out a small smile at the thought of his equally tall mother-friend. The messages showed how motherly she was of him; it started off with a question and was immediately pushed with worry right after.

Bryce started to go through all of the messages, trying to get his notifications to stop going insane so they would not kill his phone. It started off, “Good Morning Bryce! <3” and switched to another tone of “Bryce, how are you, you haven’t responded to anyone’s messages for ages now.” Bryce chuckled when he read the first five messages that showed Michelle going into protective mother status, “Bryce please answer, you’re making me worry.” Or “Bryce, I’m not going to wait any longer, I’m coming over right now.”

An eerie feeling settled itself into Bryce’s bones as he stayed quiet long enough to hear his cat, Ellie, meowing by the window in the other room. He jumped at the impact between the hard wood and a hand knocking at the door. Bryce stood still, as if his actions would help him hide his position, hopefully Michelle might leave if she didn’t find him, but he failed as he let out a loud shriek. He heard Michelle go from knocking at his door to pounding at his door while screaming, “Bryce, I will break this fucking door down if you don’t open it in the next five seconds!” He made sure he was dressed before rushing over to the door, already hearing the pounding die down to a weak knock.

Upon opening the door, Bryce was attacked with a strong bear hug from Michelle, taking out all the air out of his lungs and diaphragm. She held onto him as if he would disappear again once she let go, but she knew better than that. Catching her breath and making sure he wouldn’t disappear again, she slowly let go of Bryce, hoping he wouldn’t break or anything. It was one thing to match his height of over six feet, but it was another to match strength with one another. Bryce slowly moved his body away from her as the aching intensified and he felt his body go up flames. It must have shown because the look on his face was a mix between pain and shock after the hug attack.

His body tensed up right after the sudden contact as if he was uncomfortable with what had just happened. His glassy, baby-blue orbs lit up with an unknown emotion as they widened even more, jolting him awake. His shiny white teeth had exposed themselves as a hiss left his mouth in a low, immediate reaction. His deathly pale skin only worked to concern his motherly friend more as if he had refused any food from the last time she saw him. Although, it did seem like Bryce had grown a good bit in the past two months that she didn’t see him.

She showed concern in her eyes and through her voice as she said, “Bryce? I texted you last week if you would like to come over today, but you never replied. When you didn’t reply to the texts and the calls I sent you today, I got worried about your safety. You always answer my calls, so, I’m sorry Bryce.” Bryce made sure to let her finish before explaining what he was actually doing. He did his best to calm the her as he gently laid his hand on her shoulder and made her focus on his eyes. “Michelle, please calm down, I wasn’t doing anything bad while you texted me. I was actually taking a shower, so I could get ready for the day.”

Michelle stared at him for a good while before deciding that what he was saying was the truth. She looked around his home and saw that the mess present was worse than anything Bryce was capable of by himself. “Bryce what the hell happened to your house!?” She stepped in and took a look around finding the kitchen nearly spotless, save for the dust gathering up everywhere. Bryce immediately panicked and started running after the tall brunette trying to get her to stop what she was doing. “Minxy!!! What are you doing!? Leave my house alone!! I was going to cleanup soon anyways, just please stop!!” The fear of her snooping around made his nickname for her slip out, but neither noticed as they continued what they were doing.

Eventually, Bryce caught her going to his room as he made a beeline to the destination before her. Just as she arrived to the door, he was already there, ready to block her path towards the entrance of the room. “Michelle, what do you think you’re doing??” Michelle paused and looked at Bryce in the eye, immediately noticing the pale, frightened expression on the younger man’s face. They stood there for what seemed like forever before the earsplitting ringtone, Michelle had set as a default, rang throughout the hallway. Staring at Bryce a little longer, Michelle answered her phone, “Hello?... Oh! Yes, yes, I found him at his apartment…”

Michelle stayed quiet for a while, her smile dropping from her face and her eyes traveling from the ceiling to Bryce himself. Bryce felt her gaze pierce through him and he shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, waiting for her to finish. Bryce bit his lip a little before looking anywhere but his friend who stood in front of him. Michelle hummed softly every once in a while, an indication that she was responding to whoever was talking with her. Letting out a sigh, she said goodbye and hung up, “Bryce come on, Krism wants to see you too, so let’s go meet her okay?”

~~~  
  
The car parked into the driveway of a nice lavender painted house with a large, white-stone fence. The uneasiness in Bryce’s stomach did not settle down on the ride here, and the fact that Michelle hadn’t stopped staring at him since she hung up, only heightened his anxiety. As he unbuckled his seatbelt slowly, he could she her from the corner of his eye, just staring at him with questioning eyes. His throat ran dry and he felt the cold winter wind penetrate his thin jacket as he swallowed the lump in his throat. The dark thoughts were back in his head, as if the wind had invited them in through his skin.

Bryce shakes his head to clear his mind off of any thoughts and closes the car door behind him before heading towards the porch. As he went up the steps, he felt a sudden weight settle onto his shoulders and he let out a soft exhale. Bryce heard Krism more than actually saw the smaller girl as she ran at him then latched herself onto him. The lines of reality and memory fade a little more in Bryce’s mind as he cautiously wraps his arms around her.

Michelle’s voice sounded distant to Bryce as she called his name from across the room various times. Bryce barely got a chance to turn around and land his eyes on her before feeling the cold ground beneath him. His mind blanked as things sped by in a blink of an eye, everything seemed to happen so fast to him. The only things he hears is the sound of sirens and the voices of the only two people who would worry about him. A slight smile decorates his face as the cold stops bothering him.  
  
It’s when he hears the doors close and a slight gasp that he remembers the marks on his skin. The warmth seeps into his bare torso and he starts shivering at the change in temperature. The cold is the last thing he remembers as everything fades to black.


	3. Deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryce wakes up, what happens now

Bryce felt the warmth and comfort that the darkness around his mind brought, it wrapped around him like a large blanket. The peaceful silence was disrupted when he heard a faded laughter, calm and collected. It was natural, not quite a while prior, well known, a current chuckling, one that shook him to the core.. “Ohm?” a voice called out, it was his. Through the dark he spotted him, Ryan, he was standing underneath a single spotlight and he…he was talking to a good looking nurse…

A healthier version of Bryce rushed into view holding Ryan’s glasses, but the latter seemed upset. During the commotion, the nurse with long, black hair disappeared, Ryan turned away from him and the spotlight shrunk to only cover what was left of Bryce…

 

~

  
A loud noise went off next to him, successfully pulling him into a conscious state of mind and causing the noise to grow louder. Bryce blinked rapidly and turned to face the heart monitor, well tried to before he noticed the tube going down his throat. His eyes widened and he immediately tried to take it off, not liking the increasing discomfort. A sun-kissed hand was placed over his own, stopping his movements. Bryce’s line of vision was drawn to the owner and a pained gasp was drawn from his lips, his eyes tearing up. There right next to him was Ryan, a deep frown set on his face, silently staring at him as if he was hideous.

Bryce took in a deep breath as best as he could and slowly removed the hand from its place before going back to removing the tube from his mouth slowly. Once it was removed, he noticed how incredibly dry his throat was and started coughing like crazy, but as if fate was trying to tempt him, Ryan held up a water bottle. Bryce stared at the bottle for a moment before he looked up at those light hazel eyes, the silence between them was starting to drive him up the wall. In between coughs he tried to grab the water bottle, but only managed to knock it out of Ryan’s hands.

Scared, Bryce quieted his coughs and retracted his hand from the older man’s reach, waiting for a reaction. He hid his hand by placing it close to his chest and curling into himself, away from the other, on the bed. Tears started to fall from his empty, light blue eyes and there was a sharp pain in his arm. Still not getting a reply from Ryan, Bryce’s heartbeat spiked and he could hear the heart monitor going crazy right next to him. Ryan calmly placed a hand on Bryce and the effects are almost instantaneous, the heart monitor slows down considerably.

Ryan’s eyes soften at the sight of the poor boy, awoken by a nightmare in a hospital, but he was still upset at what he did to get himself in here in the first place. He did feel a little bit guilty, seeing as it was his fault. Ryan managed to destroy what was once a ray of sunshine and turn him into dust, only to be blown away by the wind. All he really wanted now was to hold him close, protect him from people like…him…

Bryce slowly uncurled himself from the fetal position and faced Ryan. He was in deep thought, a scowl adorned his face but his hand still resting lightly over his thigh. Bryce blankly stared at the hand as the heart monitor slowed down even further. Dark thoughts started to plague his mind again and in a silent blind rage, he tore off the IV in his arm, causing it to pop a vein. The anger dissipates as pain erupts through his arm and both of them are brought back into by the screams.

A nurse quickly bursts inside with both Michelle and Krism in a flurry of panic. The nurse immediately checked on Bryce’s IV and saw that his arm was turning a deep purple. A sigh escaped her lips and she began treating the popped vein, making sure everything was in order. Soon after, she finished and began scolding Bryce that what he did was very irresponsible, he would have to be kept in the hospital one more day. Once he was cleared to go, he could sign himself out at the front desk.

As soon as she finished, she gave Ryan the stink eye for causing all the commotion seeing as he was the only one in the room at the moment of the incident. Ryan’s eyes widened and tried to explain before she got the wrong idea of what happened, but she calmly walked out of the room to retrieve the cart she was hauling around. Ryan followed her out still trying to explain the situation and the door closed behind them, and soon an awkward silence settled between Michelle and Bryce.

A sudden loud thud hit the wall next to Bryce, so he let out a little scream and all of a sudden he could hear muted voices. Listening closely, he could recognize the voices. He turned away, tears glazing his eyes. A sniffle escaped his mouth, making Michelle zero in on him. “Bryce-” Michelle was interrupted by the door opening and more of Bryce’s friends coming in and checking if he was alright. The first ones to his side were Jonathan and Mike, behind them were Luke, Anthony, Steven and Evan, all of them had some kind of gift with them.

Jonathan practically shoved the plush teddy bear into his face before clinging to his neck, so Luke tried to gently pry Jonathan off. It didn’t work seeing as he only squeezed harder causing Bryce’s heartbeat to picked up. Bryce tried to push Jonathan a little in order to breathe and this time he cooperated, tracks of tears barely noticeable on his face. Bryce gave him a small smile and nearly suffered another bear hug from Jonathan if not for Evan. The room was quiet for a while, nobody knowing what to say.

The silence was soon interrupted by the sound of the door clicking behind them all, it was Michelle with a tray of food. Nobody had noticed her leave before, only Krism who had stayed quiet the entire time. Michelle brought forth the tray and shooed Jonathan and Evan away as she gently placed the tray on Bryce’s lap. Both males retreated back towards Luke and turned towards Bryce once again. He didn’t have the slightest idea to what Michelle was trying to do, but he stared down the bowl of chicken soup in front of him.

Michelle cleared her throat, successfully catching the attention of everyone in the room, including Bryce’s. “Guys, I need to talk to Bryce, and if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk to him alone… please.” She directed her gaze towards Bryce on the bed and everyone followed suit, Bryce feeling self-conscious immediately. Questions showed in everybody’s faces, but they left the room nonetheless, giving the two people the privacy they wanted. Bryce knew what was coming, Michelle was the first one with questions since the whole thing started and now she was going to get answers one way or another.

“Bryce.” was all that came from Michelle’s lips and Bryce started shaking, terror running through his veins. He always thought he’d be dead before he’d get caught doing what he was doing to himself. “Bryce…” Michelle repeated softer, less strained. “Look I just want you to talk to me about it, nothing more, nothing less. I want to know what you’re thinking right now. Everything you want me to know depends on what you give me right now, so give me something to wrap my head around.” Her English accent became thicker as she struggled to keep her voice up.

Bryce’s eyes became teary as the water welled up, but Michelle swiftly moved closer to him, holding one of his hands in hers. He lets out a soft sniffle before he starts to sob loudly. Michelle wrapped him in her arms and softly kisses the crown on his head, managing to provide a small bit of comfort to the younger boy. It took him a while to finally calm down from the small attack he had internally and to find his voice. The sound of Bryce’s voice was soft and sad, a melancholic tone that stuck to Michelle like glue from the moment she heard it.

“ _I Love Him Michelle…_ ”

Her eyes widened as she heard the words, as if she could feel the weight that was on his shoulders hit her in the face. What a hit it was too because he didn't stop talking there, he retold what he has been through. “Michelle, I don’t know why I defend his actions but he means the world to me. I knew him before and after, I can see the pain he has when he uses me. Like he can’t handle what he does to me slowly, like he’s afraid to fall in love. At the beginning it was impossible to see, he would turn up randomly, catch me wherever, whenever at home and pound into me to relieve stress.”

Weeks of him coming in and out for a quick fuck changed into lingering moments where he took the time to watch him fall asleep from exhaustion…they changed from a quick fuck to some emotion. “It may just be that I’m young and very, very reckless, some say stupid, but I know what I feel and what I see. I want to try, I want to try and unravel this mystery that is Ryan, I don’t want to be a fuck-buddy anymore, I-” Bryce let out a sigh and quickly ate something from the bowl in front of him. As he placed the spoon in his mouth, the door opened to reveal the devil himself, covered in faded lipstick stains. Bryce muttered a nevermind to his motherly friend and looked towards the window.

Ryan’s smile faded as he walked into the room and notice the tense and awkward atmosphere of the room. His eyes darted towards Bryce, hoping the taller boy had eaten something, but the bowl looked fairly full. Ryan now wore a crooked frown, hoping that Bryce’s friends would of helped him eat something, if anything. Approaching the hospital bed, he reached for Bryce, but got turned down by Michelle who couldn’t resist anymore. She slapped Ryan’s hands out of the way, the look of frustration replaced by one of silent anger as her face went back to normal.

Ryan was startled by the sudden pain that shocked his system and shouted very loudly, “Hey! What was that for?” He turned to Michelle whose face was pale, posture confident, and eyes set to search and destroy. He swallowed thickly as he stared at her longer, a silent war going on between them, everyone else in the room be damned. “Will you quit eyeing her, you’re only agitating her and besides she has her lover,” Bryce spoke suddenly, eyes glued to the glass as the sun had finally gone down, the light of day had gone away.

“Bry-” Ryan began to tell him but Bryce simply put his hand, signaling to save it. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Bryce interrupted him again, “Michelle, I’m tired. I’m going to take a nap okay? Sure I’ll finish my food and then do that, but if you can, I want to be alone.” Michelle nodded and began walking away from the bed, but Ryan was persistent and tried once again to get the younger boy’s attention. “BRYCE, I-” Bryce snapped and finally turned to stare Ryan down, “ALONE OHM!! Sorry, I meant Ryan.”

Shocked at the sudden outburst, Ryan slowly nodding, his face was crestfallen as he turned to leave. Bryce simply began eating the bowl of food in front of him, looking down into it, anger radiating off of him. Michelle took a hold of Ryan’s forearm and dragged him outside, “You and me are going to have a small talk outside.” Ryan was still silent and let Michelle drag him out of the room, not sure if he would be able to move on his own at this point. Before he left the room completely, Ryan could hear the faint sounds of quiet sobbing coming from the boy on the bed.

 

~

 

“You hurt him.” was all Michelle told him immediately when they stepped out of the room, away from Bryce’s listening ears. Ryan finally looked up to stare at her with wide and lamentful eyes, “I-” he began to explain, but Michelle was quicker. “Whatever the reason, whatever motive you have against him, please just stop or I’ll make you stop. By the way, the lipstick stains is what triggered Bryce back there, might want to clear those off before you ever go near him again…if I allow it…” Finishing off that sentence, Michelle began to walk off, Krism patiently waiting at a chair nearby. She stopped in the middle of the hall, remembering one last thing that she was going to tell the other.

“Oh yeah…I think it’d be best for Bryce if you don’t ever show your face around him again. It’d mess with his recovery…”


End file.
